Sell on every call

I was in the field with a rep who was responding to a phone in lead. The customer, a new florist shop, had called in to place "a grand opening ad." The rep went in sure of a sale so he decided to coast. After introducing himself he launched in to a discussion of what type of an ad they wanted and what they wanted to say. He bypassed the discovery phase of the call and asked no questions about their business. I believe this is bad practice as the call did not teach him anything about the customer's goals or plans. He also did nothing to build his relationship with the customer. He was functioning as an order taker rather than as a consultant. A good salesperson sells on every call. A good sales call leave the sales person and the prospect with a better understanding of what the other has to offer and builds their relationship. A "Kiss Me" lead is tempting but can lead to a quick sale instead of a long term business relationship.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

What's important to the reader?

I was helping a rep work out the copy for a customer's ad. The customer felt that the headline should tell readers "Family owned since 1949." The customer was very proud of the longevity of his business but is this a good lead for the ad? Do readers really care how long a business has existed? Will they look at the headline and think "So What!" or even worse think "They're probably out of date." An ad should speak to the reader and tell them how our customer's business can help them. Our job is to create the best ad for our clients. Sometimes we need to confront our customers and challenge their assumptions. Remind them that we are the advertising experts and that we know what we're talking about. They can still tell people they've been in business for 60 years, but they need to tell customers why they are better than the competition if they want to survive for another 60.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch